Monday, November 3, 2008

The woman behind the Google logo

In her first meeting with Page and Brin, Kedarsays, the two told her they were establishing a company based onInternet searches.

"Most of the companies that offered searches at the time were bigportals like Lycos, Netscape and Hotbot, and results of the searcheswere similar to results from the Yellow Pages: If you wanted to appearin them you had to pay," Kedar said.

"This was the beginning of the era of gathering information on theWeb. Sergey and Larry wanted to do something else, what we call todayan 'organic search' or a 'natural search', which brings relevantresults. They already believed then that the future of the Internet washidden in searches," she said.

There are two reasons why the Google logo looks so simple: First,it is based on an earlier sketch Brin designed using the free designprogram GIMP; second, was the designer's decision to create somethingsimple, catchy and user-friendly.

While first sight the logo seems basic, as if it were never really"designed," Kedar says that it went through many changes along the way.

"Someone who sees the logo for the first time doesn't necessarilyneed to absorb all the layers and considerations behind every decision- it's better for him to discover something new every time," she said.

Page and Brin, Kedar says, knew from the beginning of the processwhat they needed. They did want to be perceived as part of theestablishment, as something heavy and cumbersome - they wanted to breakconventions and create something completely new. This, Kedar says, isanother reason the logo comprises only letters and no symbols.

"From the outset, it was clear to us that the name of company hadto stand at the center of the logo," she said. "It must be rememberedthat at the time, many people were afraid to use the Internet, and itwas important to broadcast something user-friendly both on the homepage and in the logo. Something simple, that you didn't need to bescared of, something catchy and full of life."

The use of primary colors - blue, yellow and red - was born of thesame desire, to design something that at first sight wouldn't bethreatening.

"With green there is something that stands on its own, that's notapologizing," she said, "and also the two Os that lean slightly totheir sides. This gives a little drive to the logo, but also shows thatnothing on this site is standard."

Kedar demonstrated, using some of the earlier sketches, the quest to represent the infinite search.

In one old sketch, an 'O' is transformed into a magnifying glass,an attempt to show that search results bring the seeker closer to hisgoal.

Another sketch has the 'O's at the center of a target to portrayaccuracy, and to emphasize that the result of a search is important.

Kedar even used capital letters in one design, in contrast to thefinal result in which only the G appears in capitals. This was intendedto instill a feeling that the company is solid and serious, whileattempting to protect the feeling of playfulness that comes from everyletter being a different color.

In yet another sketch, Kedar turned one of the Os into a face andadded a smile, in an attempt to portray a positive search experience.

Kedar says that when she first brought the sketches to Page andBrin, they would look at the pages, place them on the table, anddiscuss with their visions for the company.

"It was important for them to tell me about themselves, what theybelieve in, where they see themselves in the future and which peoplethey were looking for to work with them, even at a time when the entirecompany numbered five people," she said.

"In general, when people speak about their big dreams in life, theyapologize many times for it, for the pretension. They [Brin and Page]weren't like that. It was clear to them from the start that they hadsomething big in their hands."

Kedar is no longer perturbed by the criticism that any child could draw the Google logo.

"Ultimately, the question was whether to portray a feeling ofplayfulness without using a familiar symbol that would limit us in itsmeaning, something that is possible to appreciate in retrospect," shesaid.

"We worked very hard in order to create something simple, andthat's also the reason all the other sketches were cancelled out on theway. Or that they were sophisticated, or that they were too sharp. Wedidn't want Google to be restricted to something, just like the searchis also not restricted."

Ten years later, the logo Kedar designed still continues to touch and surprise her.

"It somewhat amuses me to turn on the computer and look at the logoI designed. But it also fills me with pride," she said. "When you sayGoogle to people today, they immediately see the colorful logo."

"Also, 'Google doodles' - the illustrations of Dennis Hwang thataccompany the logo in special events - don't disturb the design. On thecontrary, they awaken the strength of the product and play with thelogo in an exciting and very nice way," she said.

"From my point of view, that is a big achievement," she said. "I get a lot of pleasure from this child.